The Veterinarian Part 6

SYMPTOMS: The legs are swollen, extremely hot and tender, the horse is stiff, the hair comes off the legs easily and if the cause is not removed severe complication may follow, as the secretions of the skin become greatly affected.

TREATMENT: Prevention. Horses that are driven over muddy, wet roads should have their legs rubbed dry when stabling them for any length of time. When the legs are badly swollen wash them with clean warm water and Castile soap and dry them well with a clean soft cloth. Then apply Zinc Oxide Ointment or a lotion made from Acetate of Lead, one ounce; Zinc Sulphate, one-half ounce. Place in a quart of clean water and apply twice daily. Either application is very beneficial in the treatment of Mud Fever. Feed the animal wheat bran mashes, steamed rolled oats, vegetables, etc., as they have a very good effect on the system which aids in relieving the inflammation of the skin.

NASAL GLEET

(Chronic Catarrh)

CAUSE: Exposure to cold followed by neglect, and lack of nourishing food; bruise or fracture of the frontal bones of the head; injury of the blood-vessels inside the bones, or an ulcerated tooth. May also be caused by tumor, or foreign substance or liquids in the nasal cavities.

Sometimes dried pus in the nostrils, resulting from a cold, will cause nasal gleet.

SYMPTOMS: A white or yellowish discharge from one or both of the nostrils, the quant.i.ty varying with the severity of the attack and the length of time the disease has been established. If, when tapping over the nose below the eye, a dull sound is produced, it is safe to conclude that the cavities are filled with pus; to make certain, compare the sick animal with a healthy one; in some cases you will notice that even the bones of the nose below the eye are slightly elevated. The lining of the nose may be of a red or yellow color but not ulcerated in spots, as in Glanders. The animal may continue in pretty good spirits and work well for a time but as the case develops he becomes lean in flesh and what is termed hide-bound. Always examine the teeth. In a case of long standing, the discharge has a fetid smell, differing in this respect also from Glanders.

TREATMENT: If not due to fractured bones of the head or ulcerated teeth, the animal will, in most cases, recover with proper medical treatment.

When due to injury to the bones of the head, tumors, ulcerated teeth or dried pus in the nasal cavities, it is best to secure the services of a skillful Veterinarian, one whose professional knowledge renders him thoroughly competent. In the mild forms of nasal-gleet or chronic catarrh, administer the following: Ferri Sulphate, Pota.s.si Iodide, Nux Vomica, each four ounces. Mix well and make into thirty-two capsules.

Give one capsule three times daily and feed food that is nourishing and easily digested.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Photograph of a horse.]

SADDLE STALLION ASTRAL KING, CHAMPION SADDLE STALLION.

Owned by James Houchin, Jefferson City, Mo.

NAVEL STRING INFECTION

(Umbilical Pyemia)

CAUSE AND NATURE: While the unborn foal (foetus) is in the womb of its mother, it is surrounded by enveloping membranes which const.i.tute the after-birth on delivery. These membranes are attached to the wall of the womb and are connected to the foetus by means of the navel-string (umbilical cord) which is provided with two arteries and a vein for the nourishment of the young creature and for the removal of its waste products.

It also has a narrow ca.n.a.l (the urachus) which serves to remove the urine of the foetus; in fact the subsequently formed bladder takes its origin from a dilation of the urachus. Under normal conditions when the foal is born, respiration takes place, the umbilical arteries and veins become quickly blocked up, urine is discharged through the urethra (which communicates with the p.e.n.i.s or v.a.g.i.n.a, as the case may be), the foal enjoys a separate existence and the wound caused by the division of the umbilical cord leaves a scar which is known as the navel.

It is usually supposed that the germ of navel-string infection gains admittance into the body through the exposed surface before the wound is closed. However, I am of the opinion that the mother is the bearer of the infection in a great many cases for in the uterine secretions of mares whose foals fell with navel-string infection, the same characteristic germs were found as were present in the joints of the affected foals. The infectious material is, by the act of covering, conveyed from mare to mare, so that the mucous membranes of the womb becomes the habitat of the specific germ. By inoculation of these germs into the blood stream of foals an illness is produced which in the smallest particular cannot be distinguished from that arising in naturally affected foals. It is a strange fact that when the infected germs are transmitted by the mother, their presence does not produce any disturbance in her.

This is a very common malady in most places. I have known several instances on particular farms where they were unable to raise either foals or calves, but if the mother were removed to another farm immediately after or before foaling, the foal or calf lived and was reared without difficulty, and although const.i.tutional debility plays an important part, the presence of specific germs const.i.tuting an infected area is, I believe, the most important factor in producing this disease.

According to my observation, about seventy-five per cent of the cases die within the first three weeks after birth. This high rate of mortality would be considerably diminished if proper treatment was adopted.

SYMPTOMS: The attack usually comes on during the second or third week after birth and almost always before the closure of the navel opening, which, in affected animals, will be found to be in a wet and suppurating condition. Occasionally foals two or three months old which have the urachus closed and are in an apparently healthy condition contract this disease in a form of painful swelling of the joints. The first symptoms are generally dullness; more or less fever; lameness which is often attributed to rheumatism or to injury caused by the mare treading on the foal; the disinclination to move or even to stand. Upon examination the patient will be found to have a soft, gelatinous swelling of one or more of the joints of which the hock, elbow, fetlock, stifle and hip usually manifest the enlargement most clearly.

These swellings are hot and painful to the touch; they tend to suppurate and frequently cause intense lameness. In very rare cases open urachus may exist without any joint inflammation. In this disease, inflammation of the joints and open urachus are almost always co-existent.

Animals that recover from a bad attack are seldom worth the trouble of rearing, because as a rule their const.i.tution becomes permanently impaired and one or more of their joints becomes stiffened by the attack.

TREATMENT: In the treatment of this disease, we have to attend to const.i.tutional disturbances, inflamed joints, open urachus and complications such as constipation and diarrhoea. The comfort of our little patient must be studied under all circ.u.mstances. If the weather be at all cold it should be covered by a warm sheet. Should the foal have any difficulty in rising from the rec.u.mbent position, an attendant should a.s.sist it to rise and see that it is regularly fed. It is only in extreme cases that the animal refuses to suck its dam. During warm weather, and especially if the ground is dry, such a patient is always better off for a little sunshine, but on no account must it be left out during extreme heat, as in this state it is very liable to sunstroke.

The best food for the mare is gra.s.s, which, during the day, she can generally have. The inflamed joints of the foal should be rubbed lightly with the following, after being thoroughly mixed: Red Iodide of Mercury, two drams; Vaseline, two ounces, every forty-eight hours, which, when applied to the skin, appears to have a well-marked antiseptic action on the underlying tissues. An inflamed joint should on no account be bathed with warm water, fomented or poulticed because the application of moist heat would be the best possible means for promoting the development of the infective germs which are the cause of the local and general disturbance. The open navel-string should not be ligatured because that operation is generally followed by an increased inflammation of the part, and by an aggravation of the other symptoms apparently on account of this outlet for deleterious products becoming blocked up. If the navel-string has been ligatured and is in an inflamed state, the ligature should be removed without delay. If the foal is constipated give two to three ounces of Castor Oil; also, administer the following: Zinc Sulphocarbolates, one-half dram; Hyposulphite of Soda, four ounces.

Mix and make into thirty-two powders. Give one powder well back on the tongue every four hours.

As a supplement to the food, we may give brown sugar or treacle, both of which are easily digested and are very nourishing. Four or five eggs daily will also aid in keeping up the strength.

NAVEL RUPTURE

(Umbilical Hernia)

CAUSE: Hereditary predisposition is well marked in this complaint. It may exist at birth, but so-called congenital rupture may very probably be the result of the pulling which the navel-string underwent at the time of foaling. However, umbilical hernia usually occurs during the first two or three months after birth; that is to say, while the opening at the navel is becoming obliterated and the tissues at that place are becoming consolidated. They can, however, appear later and may result from more or less violent strains sustained when the foals are jumping or playing. At other times these strains are induced by intestinal irritation accompanied by diarrhoea or constipation with straining. But, however the strain may take place, the abdominal muscles contract and push the intestines towards the wall of the belly. Then if they find an opening or even a weak spot, like the ring of the navel while it is undergoing the process of becoming blocked up, they select it and a rupture is produced.

SYMPTOMS: This rupture, the situation of which clearly shows its character, may vary in size from that of a hen's egg to that of an ostrich's egg. If pressed upon with the hand, especially if the animal is placed on its back, the rupture will disappear, to return, however, when the pressure is removed. If it be composed of intestines it will be soft and elastic when the bowels are empty, but when they are full of semi-solid food they will be doughy. In any event, the tumor will feel elastic when composed of intestines, but when formed of its connecting membranes, will naturally not vary in consistence. If intestines be present, movements and abdominal rumblings may be detected in it. This rupture rarely gives rise to serious consequences because its contents are composed of large intestines and omentum, either of which is, in this position, not liable to become strangulated. It may, however, become engorged and inflamed from injury. Its existence naturally depreciates the value of an animal suffering from it.

TREATMENT: In the majority of cases, they will disappear with their own accord in two or three months. In case the rupture shows no signs of diminishing in size it is well to apply a bandage around the abdomen or secure the services of a competent veterinarian and he will prescribe a treatment or operate, which will apply directly to your colt's or horse's particular case.

OPEN JOINT

CAUSE: Injuries such as a kick from a sharp shoe, wire cuts, punctures from snags, or from probing a wound near a joint. Open joint is one of the most serious accidents that may happen to a horse, for the sufferer is apt to die from the ensuing const.i.tutional disturbance, and even if he recovers the joint will, in all probability, be permanently stiff.

SYMPTOMS: If the joint is opened or severely injured the wound will have an ordinary appearance except that there may be a flow of joint oil from the injured oil sack. However, the discharge gradually becomes more unhealthy until finally it is mixed with pus and blood and a.s.sumes a fetid odor. After two or three days the joint swells and becomes very painful and a high fever sets in. In unfavorable cases the animal dies from exhaustion very shortly, or at best recovers with a permanently stiff joint.

TREATMENT: Never probe a wound near a joint. If the injury is small and noticed immediately, apply Red Iodide of Mercury, two drams; Vaseline, two ounces. Mix and rub in well over the wound. This will set up sufficient inflammation to close the opening and kill any infection that may be present, as it possesses powerful antiseptic properties. If the wound is large, wash with Bichloride of Mercury, one part to one thousand parts distilled water. The wound should be washed twice a day with this solution. Then dust the wound with Tannic Acid, one ounce; Iodoform, one ounce; Boracic Acid, one ounce; Calomel, one dram. Mix and place in sifter top can and apply this after washing each time. Then bandage the wound by first placing clean absorbent cotton over the wound. Do not attempt to syringe a solution into an opening or some of the solution may gain entrance into the joint. Keep the animal as quiet as possible and feed laxative food.

PALESADE WORM

(Strongulus Armatus)

This parasite thrives on marshy ground and is commonly found in the United States and Canada. The body of the worm is gray in color, more or less stiff and straight and thicker in the front than in the hind part; it varies in length, the male measuring from three-fourths of an inch to one inch and the female from one to two inches. It may occur in an adult or an immature state. In the former it implants itself on the mucous membrane of the large intestines by means of its armed mouth, while in the latter it lives in cysts underneath the mucous membrane of the intestines and is sometimes found in the brain, t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es and liver. The immature worms which do not issue directly from the cysts get into the arteries and are carried by the force of the blood to all parts of the body.

SYMPTOMS: Same as in Red Worm with the exception of colicky pains caused by the worms blocking the arteries which carry blood to the intestines, thus interfering with the process of digestion. Where the worms enter the arteries of the limbs it results in lameness. It is a good plan to examine your animals once or twice a year to insure them against this pest.

TREATMENT: Same as for Red Worm.

PLEURISY

CAUSE: Exposed to a sudden change of temperature, confinement in ill-ventilated, damp stables, wounds penetrating the chest, fractured ribs, heart diseases. It also occurs in conjunction with Bronchitis, Influenza, etc.

SYMPTOMS: Generally only one side of the lungs is affected and that being the right, although it may affect both sides at the same time.

First you will notice the animal distressed, uneasy, shivering, the affected side is painful to pressure of the hand. The breathing is short and quick, and the flanks heave--which shows that the animal tries to breathe as much as possible, by the action of the muscles of the abdomen and not by the movement of the ribs. The nostrils are dilated. There is usually a short, dry, painful cough present, which is repressed by the animal as much as possible, so as not to shake the inflamed parts. Often when expelling air from the lungs the horse gives a painful grunt especially when made to move. The pulse is generally hard and faster than usual. The temperature in early stages may rise from 104 to 106 degrees F. If the ear is applied to the affected side a dry crackling or friction sound can be heard; a groove along the lower portion of the ribs will extend back to the flank. Within two or three days the pulse will be softer and weaker, temperature will fall to 101 or 102 degrees F. and there will be fluids form and the painful short breathing will disappear. The liquids may now undergo absorption if properly treated, and the case terminate favorably in a week or ten days.

Frequently large quant.i.ties of fluid acc.u.mulate in the chest cavity that cannot be absorbed, the breathing becomes more difficult, short and quick, pulse becomes weak and rapid and the animal dies from exhaustion.

TREATMENT: Place the animal in a comfortable, roomy stall; blanket if the weather is chilly, permit fresh air, but no drafts, as this is very important. Apply a paste made from Mustard and cold water over the chest cavity. Internally, administer Ammonium Iodide, Chlorate of Potash, Nitrate of Potash, each four ounces. Make into thirty-two powders and give one powder every two or three hours in gelatin capsule and administer with capsule gun. The diet is a proper means of keeping up the animal and is very important. Coax the animal to eat gra.s.s or vegetables, hot bran mashes or steam rolled oats. If there is a cough present, give the same treatment as recommended for Acute and Chronic Coughs.